


Common Ground

by saxgoddess25



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, Red Queen Week 2017
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-24
Updated: 2017-10-24
Packaged: 2019-01-22 04:34:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12473612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saxgoddess25/pseuds/saxgoddess25
Summary: This story was written for Tumblr's Red Queen Week 2017 - Day 1: First EncountersPrompt: Regina and Ruby meet in a gay bar and discover they have a mutual ex.





	Common Ground

 

Regina doesn’t usually do this kind of thing. Seedy dive bars are not her scene, but it’s been six months since she and Mary Margaret broke it off, and the ache in her heart is just as strong now as it was six minutes after she walked out that door. She doesn’t have many friends, and she’s tired of drinking alone, so she points Google toward “gay bars near me” and is happy to find one in the next town over.

She’s overdressed, and she knows it, but she holds her head up as she pushes her way through the door, nerves balling her stomach into a knot but trying to hide it. The bar’s busy, but not packed, and as expected, several heads turn in her direction, glances to see the new-comer that linger a little bit longer than they might have or double-takes as brains process the gorgeous new addition in her little black dress and wickedly high stilettoes.

“What can I get you?”

The bartender is something herself. There’s a wildness to her that Regina feels drawn to as she settles on a barstool. She’s got rockabilly hair and a red and black plaid shirt, knotted between her breasts to show off a perfectly toned midriff. Regina’s gaze lingers.

“I don’t suppose you’d be able to make an appletini?”

“Sweetie, this is a gay bar – but not quite that gay,” the response is accompanied by a flash of white teeth and a playful wink that has her heart skipping a beat.

“Worth a shot.” Her eyes drift up to the top shelf liquors on display along the mirrored wall, “I guess I’ll have a double of Glenfiddich then. Neat.”

“Ooh, from playful to serious just like that huh?” the woman smirks as she grabs a clean glass and turns for the bottle. It’s a very generous double that appears on the bar in front of her and she slides her credit card across.

“Starting a tab?”

“Yeah.”

Regina sips at her Scotch, gaze falling on a cluster of women in black leather who are happily chatting away at a table in the corner. They all have matching patches on the back of their vests, clearly a club of some sort, and colorful bandanas peek from back pockets. Those don’t match, but Regina doesn’t know the significance.

The rest of the crowd is a mixed bag. Flamboyant young men in skinny jeans talking and laughing loudly amongst themselves, older men either in clusters chatting with each other or watching their young counterparts with interest or amusement, an eclectic mix of women in twos or threes, and here and there a loner like her. The jukebox on the wall plays pop music that is definitely too young for her, but there is dancing, flirting, and cruising. She has no doubt that more than a few hookups are going to happen before the night is over.

“Can I buy you a drink?”

Regina turns toward the woman who has appeared on her left, and appraises her. It’s one of the leather vested women and she’s tall, somewhat stocky, but she’s got a nice smile. Before Regina can even answer the question however, she hears a…growl from the other side of the bar. Her head swivels back to glance at the bartender, but she’s got her back to them, though Regina thinks there’s a certain noticeable tension in her shoulders.

Clearly the newcomer has heard the growl too, because she’s chuckling and shaking her head. “Another time then.” She flashes her smile at Regina and ambles back to her compatriots at the table. The good-natured laughter that soon follows is a sign that she has imparted her story, but Regina’s attentions have already returned to the woman behind the bar.

“What was that about?”

“I just didn’t think you seemed like their type,” the bartender tells her, a tad defensive now that she’s driven the interloper off.

“Oh? And what type do you think I am?” She takes a sip of her Scotch, raising her eyebrows questioningly. “The type that goes home with good looking bartenders maybe?”

That brings a delightful blush and a clearing of throat as the woman picks up a rag and wipes down the counter where she’s spilled a bit of alcohol. She seems to be floundering for something to say. What she settles on is an awkward: “So…who was she?”

“Her? I’ve never seen her before in my life.”

“No, I mean the girl who broke your heart.”

“What makes you think there was one?”

“Do you always answer a question with a question?”

“Do you?” she teases.

The bartender laughs. “No. Not always.” She pauses as another customer comes up to order a beer. Regina watches as she pulls the pint and collects the money, waiting patiently until she comes back over. “You just have that aura about you. Gorgeous woman, sad eyes, sitting in a bar she’s never been to before, all the hallmarks of heartbreak.”

Regina thinks about that for a moment. “You think I’m gorgeous, hmm?”

“Well yeah, I have eyes.”

A chuckle bubbles up and she peers through her eyelashes at her. “Well, I’ve already told you that I think you’re good looking. Though ‘good’ is a bit of an understatement.”

“Thanks, Doll.” The bartender tops up her Scotch, then leans against the counter behind the bar. “So who was she?”

“Persistent,” Regina grumbles, takes another drink of liquid courage, then lets out a deep sigh. “Her name is Mary Margaret.”  

“Wait. Not Mary Margaret Blanchard?”

She can only stare at the woman for a long moment. “You know her?”

There is a laugh, then the bartender rubs at the back of her head, embarrassment clear. “She, uh, we used to date.”

“You…”

“Dated. Yeah. Several years back, before I moved here.” She coughs and drops her hand back to fiddle with a few empty glasses, trying to find something to occupy her through the awkwardness. “She must be crazy to have let you go.”

“Well, what about you?” Regina gestures at her, from head to foot, indicating her afore-mentioned looks.

“Oh, we just drifted apart. Life happened.”

There is more to it than that, Regina can tell, but she doesn’t want to pry. Not when she’s come here to forget her problems with Mary Margaret. She nods, silence falls between them, and the bartender moves away to the other end of the bar to help two new people who’ve just come in. When she returns a little while later, the tone has changed a bit. That will never do, so Regina reaches out, offering her hand.

“I’m Regina Mills, and I was wondering if you’d be interested in going to dinner with me tomorrow night.”

“Ruby Lucas.” She shakes her hand, but also shakes her head at the same time. “I work tomorrow,” Regina feels her heart sinking, “but I know a great all-night diner, if you’re willing to wait until I’m off.”

“My dear, I’d wait all night for you.”

“I’ll bet you say that to all the girls,” Ruby retorts with a wink.

“Only the pretty ones.” 

 


End file.
